Board meetings mean preparing for high-stakes conversations. When you’re a subsidiary of one of the largest private equity companies in 
the world, conducting a well-planned board meeting is a make-or-break endeavor.
Below, AVI Systems shares how a global leader in multi-modal transportation and logistics adopted new meeting room technology in its executive conference room just weeks before their biggest meeting of the year — producing a high-impact board experience.
The Challenge
Most organizations typically add new conference room technology on top of existing solutions as a stop-gap measure. But after hybrid meetings became the norm, the functionality gaps in these patchworked tech stacks became increasingly difficult to ignore.
This happened to our Seattle-based transportation client. Their boardroom tech was comprised of multiple solutions added over time. As the room technology became more outdated it simply no longer met their needs.
“The conference room was originally audio-only, and that worked for a time when meeting use was limited. As time passed, and our meetings became more elaborate and sophisticated, the room’s functionality became a pain point,” said the client’s director of IT.
Room cameras were too small for the space, creating a bowling alley effect that made it hard to see people at the conference room table who sat the furthest away. The audio had difficulty picking up the voices of those who spoke — especially if they weren’t right in front of the microphones. And the entire system was complex to use because it didn’t have an integrated interface. The result was a poor meeting experience for people onsite...and far less than ideal for those who joined remotely.
After a visit to their ownership’s headquarters, the client saw first-hand the difference a well-appointed boardroom could make. He returned to his company ready to invest in an entirely new system capable of delivering a high-impact meeting experience.
The only question remaining was whether the new system could be up and running before their board meeting, which was just a little more than four weeks away. The transportation company quickly requested bids on the project and invited several vendors, including AVI Systems, to respond.
“We were awarded the business based on our experience level, global capabilities, and willingness to commit to the fast turnaround they needed,” said Brian James, Sales Manager, at AVI Systems branch office in Seattle.
The Solution
After an onsite walkthrough, it was clear the client needed a custom solution with multiple cameras and microphones capable of fully covering the large executive conference room. AVI design engineers recommended a Microsoft Teams Rooms solution built around a Q-SYS camera and speaker hardware solution for two reasons.
- Tried and True: AVI had successfully implemented a similar design for another customer and knew it would meet this customer’s requirements.
- Right Here Right Now: With equipment readily available, the installation could be completed to meet the aggressive deadline.
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| A Microsoft Teams Rooms solution including Q-SYS cameras and speakers helped create an executive boardroom experience for this global transportation company. |
“Our design goals were to provide a simple user experience that could be implemented quickly, using products we have a strong history with,” said Travis Taylor, Technical Services Manager at AVI Systems in Seattle. “We knew our technology partner, Q-SYS, would provide the level of performance this client needed and that we’d feel good placing the AVI stamp of approval on it.”
“Q-SYS is proud to offer a broad portfolio of Certified for Microsoft Teams devices, enabling AVI Systems experts to purpose-build to the needs of the space, while ensuring an elevated client experience in Microsoft Teams Rooms,” adds Angela Comitini, Director of Alliances GTM at Q-SYS.
Just four weeks after their initial conversation, the client’s new Microsoft Teams Room was fully operational. AVI trained the client’s IT, administrative, and leadership teams to ensure everyone was comfortable and confident about operating the solution before their meeting.
“This customer’s entire IT team is very buttoned up. They know how to deploy solutions at a global scale,” said James. “They invited AVI Systems into their Teams Rooms channel as well as their project planning tools. This collaborative effort allowed us to be more efficient given the compressed timeline.”
Because the client’s internal IT team supports multiple divisions, they also wanted to explore options for managed services. James recommended a service contract through AVI’s Microsoft Consultancy, Magenium. The client went with AVI’s MTR Pro Advanced service, which includes proactive monitoring and alerting, incident management, and advanced reporting and insights.
The Results & Human Impact
An internal meeting just days before the board meeting offered an opportunity to conduct a dry-run and put the new solution to the test. After making a few adjustments, the leadership team headed into their board meeting fully confident the solution would deliver exactly what they needed.
“I’ve been through hundreds of deployments and implementations, and I’m always a little nervous until I see that everything runs smoothly,” said the transportation company’s IT director. “We got the highest compliment you can receive — it was absolutely quiet. Nobody said a thing.”
Here are just a few of the benefits the client reports:
- User experience: The team adopted the solution quickly, is comfortable using the
space, and finds it easy to start a meeting, whether in person or hybrid. - Meeting equity: All participants can now be seen and heard effortlessly thanks to
12 Q-SYS speakers and two ceiling array microphones from Shure. - Executive presence: The solution delivers the executive meeting experience a large global brand expects.
- Resource allocation: The managed services contract keeps the company’s
valuable internal IT resources available for other priorities. The online service portal ensures everyone stays up to date on room performance.
“We gave AVI Systems an impossible task, and they performed flawlessly,” said the IT director. “There’s a true business value to the level of experience they bring.”
Technology Partners
- QSC - Q-SYS
- LEA
- Mersive
- Shure
©AVI Systems 2024
